Chapter 3
Original Latin
7 CATO. Faciam ut potero, Laeli. saepe enim interfui querellis aequalium meorum, pares autem vetere proverbio cum paribus facillime congregantur, quae C. Salinator, quae Sp. Albinus, homines consulares, nostri fere aequales, deplorare solebant, tum quod voluptatibus carerent, sine quibus vitam nullam putarent, tum quod spernerentur ab eis, a quibus essent coli soliti; qui mihi non id videbantur accusare, quod esset accusandum. nam si id culpa senectutis accideret, eadem mihi usu venirent reliquisque omnibus maioribus natu, quorum ego multorum cognovi senectutem sine querella, qui se et libidinum vinculis laxatos esse non moleste ferrent nec a suis despicerentur. sed omnium istius modi querellarum in moribus est culpa, non in aetate. moderati enim et nec difficiles nec inhumani senes tolerabilem senectutem agunt, importunitas autem et inhumanitas omni aetati molesta est.
8 LAELIUS. Est, ut dicis, Cato; sed fortasse dixerit quispiam tibi propter opes et copias et dignitatem tuam tolerabiliorem senectutem videri, id autem non posse multis contingere.
CATO. Est istuc quidem, Laeli, aliquid, sed nequaquam in isto sunt omnia; ut Themistocles fertur Seriphio cuidam in iurgio respondisse, cum ille dixisset non eum sua, sed patriae gloria splendorem assecutum: nec hercule, inquit, si ego Seriphius essem, nec tu, si Atheniensis, clarus umquam fuisses. quod eodem modo de senectute dici potest; nec enim in summa inopia levis esse senectus potest, ne sapienti quidem, nec insipienti etiam in summa copia non gravis.
9 aptissima omnino sunt, Scipio et Laeli, arma senectutis artes exercitationesque virtutum, quae in omni aetate cultae, cum diu multumque vixeris, mirificos ecferunt fructus, non solum quia numquam deserunt, ne extremo quidem tempore aetatis, quamquam id quidem maximum est, verum etiam quia conscientia bene actae vitae multorumque bene factorum recordatio iucundissima est.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Latin in all 23 chapters and 85 sections. Latin-source editorial review recorded; no human specialist certification is claimed.
7 Cato: “I shall do what I can, Laelius. I have often heard the complaints of men my own age—for, as the old proverb says, like most readily gathers with like. Gaius Salinator and Spurius Albinus, both former consuls and about my own age, used to lament that they were deprived of pleasures without which they thought life no life at all, and that those who once honored them now held them in contempt. To my mind they were blaming the wrong thing. If old age were responsible, the same would happen to me and to every other elderly man. Yet I have known many whose old age was free of complaint, who did not resent their release from the chains of desire and were not despised by their families. In complaints of this kind the fault lies in character, not in years. Moderate old men, neither difficult nor unkind, enjoy a tolerable old age; harshness and inhumanity make every age a burden.”
8 Laelius: “It is as you say, Cato. Yet someone might suggest that your wealth, resources, and standing make old age seem more tolerable to you, and that few can have those advantages.”
Cato: “There is something in that, Laelius, but it is very far from the whole. Themistocles is said to have answered a man from Seriphus during a quarrel, when the man said that his distinction came not from his own glory but from his country’s: ‘By Hercules, if I were from Seriphus I should never have become famous; nor would you, if you were an Athenian.’ The same may be said of old age. In utter poverty it cannot be easy even for a wise man; nor, even amid great abundance, can it fail to burden a fool.”
9 “Altogether the best weapons of old age, Scipio and Laelius, are the arts of virtue and their practice. Cultivated at every age, they bear marvelous fruit when you have lived long and fully: not only because they never abandon you, even in life’s last days—great as that advantage is—but because the consciousness of a life well lived and the memory of many good deeds are supremely sweet.”
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Latin in separate source-only production passes, not from Musean or a historical English translation. Latin-source editorial review recorded.
7 Cato: “I will do what I can, Laelius. I have often been present when people my own age complained. As the old proverb says, people of the same age most readily gather together. Two former consuls, Gaius Salinator and Spurius Albinus, were roughly as old as I was. They used to complain that they had lost the pleasures without which they thought life was no life at all. They also complained that people who once honored them now looked down on them. I thought their complaints had the wrong target. If age caused these problems, the same things would happen to me and to everyone else who is getting older. Yet I have known many people whose old age was free from complaint. They were not unhappy to be freed from the chains of desire, and their own people did not look down on them. The fault behind all complaints of this kind lies in character, not age. Old people who are self-controlled, easy to get along with, and considerate find old age bearable. But bad temper and unkindness make life difficult at any age.”
8 Laelius: “That is true, Cato. But someone might say that your influence, wealth, and standing make old age seem more bearable to you, and that many people cannot have those advantages.”
Cato: “You have a point, Laelius, but that does not explain everything. They tell a story about Themistocles arguing with someone from Seriphus. The man had said that Themistocles owed his distinction to his country’s glory, not his own. Themistocles replied, ‘By Hercules, if I had been from Seriphus, I would never have become famous. But neither would you, if you had been from Athens.’ We can say the same about old age. In extreme poverty, old age cannot be easy even for a wise person. But for a foolish person, even great wealth cannot keep it from being a burden.”
9 “The best weapons for old age, Scipio and Laelius, are the study and practice of good conduct. Cultivated at every stage of life, they produce wonderful results once you have lived a long and full life. This is not only because they never abandon you, even at the very end of life—though that is certainly a great advantage—but also because knowing that you have lived well and remembering your many good actions brings the greatest pleasure.”
About this section
Chapter 3 is part of On Old Age by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 3 of 23 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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